Natacha Atlas November 4, 2010

28th San Francisco Jazz Festival Presents Natacha Atlas

A unique performer who refers to herself as "a human Gaza Strip" due to her multi-ethnic background, Natacha Atlas fuses Arabic and North African music with electronica, dance music and hip hop to create an irresistible hybrid, bound together by her sensuous, passionate voice. Of British and Egyptian origin, she was influenced by the Moroccan music that she heard while growing up, but simultaneously absorbed Western pop. Atlas, who sings in French, Arabic, Spanish and English, has collaborated with Transglobal Underground, Jah Wobble, Sarah Brightman, Sinead O'Connor and many others. Most recently she has pushed beyond dance rhythms to embrace Arabic classical music and European traditional songs. Expanding on the orchestral scope of her masterful 2008 release Ana Hina, her new Harmonia Mundi CD, Mounqaliba, features a 20-piece Turkish ensemble and a chamber orchestra. In whatever setting, the music of Natacha Atlas is a seductive testament to the power of multiculturalism, leaving audiences breathless.

Official Website: http://www.sfjazz.org/